11 memorable photos from 2011

Thousands of photos are taken each year in nearly 100 countries worldwide where World Vision programs help reach the most vulnerable. These 11 photos reflect the stories, the struggles and the events that have changed people's lives forever this year -- from earthquakes to famine, from hardship to triumph, from despair to hope.

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11. Somali mother prays she won't lose another child to hunger

In the Horn of Africa this Somali mother, Gaalo Adan Ali, 45, cradles her 6-year-old son, Khaleed, praying he won’t die. He is vomiting and so weak, he can’t sit up. On the 15-day journey to this Puntland camp, Gaalo’s 2-year-old and 4-year-old children starved to death. Another almost died in a car crash. (Photo by Jon Warren)

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10.Searching for Japan tsunami victims

The Japanese Self-Defense Force search and rescue operations sort through the rubble in post-tsunami snow. (Photo by Mitsuko Sobata)

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9. Abandoned children use banana tree as a jungle gym

In Bolivia, these siblings play outside the school where they live. Their mother left the family for another man, and the children live on their own while their father works. (Photo by Jon Warren)

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8. Haiti earthquake survivor

One year after Haiti's devastating earthquake, Demosi Louphine, 32, is now confident that she can care for herself, despite having lost her right arm and her left leg in the quake. Here she puts on a prosthetic limb. (Photo by Jon Warren)

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7. In the Philippines, children "fish" at low tide

Collecting seafood during low tide is a popular afternoon activity for the children of Mindanao. "Catching seafood is like playing hide-and-seek," say Shiela, 12. (Photo by Crislyn Joy A. Felisilda)

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6. After the tornado

In Tuscaloosa, Alabama, a tornado has destroyed the home of 6-year-old Isaiah Walker. His mother, Veronica May, worries about the emotional effects of the tornado on all three of her children. "This is something that may be embedded in their heads for a long time, if not the rest of their lives," she says. (Photo by Laura Reinhardt)

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5. 14-year-old survivor of rape and her new baby in the Congo

In the Democratic Republic of Congo, this 14-year-old rape survivor sits with her newborn baby at Bethesda Hospital. World Vision has given medical supplies to the hospital and supports shelter, counseling, and skill training programs for women and girls who are victims of sexual violence. (Photo by Jon Warren)

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4. The Christ of Peace statue in Bolivia

In Bolivia, the Cristo de la Concordia (Christ of Peace) statue stands with arms stretched wide, offering peace to the whole world. (Photo by Jon Warren)

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3. Father comforts son sick with malaria

Dembele tries to comfort his 6-year-old son Umba at this hospital in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where malaria is common. Nurse Anny Dedua says, "For me, malaria is the disease that is killing a child in an hour if we don't intervene. It comes with anemeia and fever." (Photo by Jon Warren)

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2. Human trafficking survivor is HIV-positive after forced marriage

23-year-old Moe had worked in Myanmar to support her family after her father died. She and a coworker went to sell fabric on the border of China, hoping for better money. When they arrived, they were forced across the border to marry men in China, where Moe contracted HIV. (Photo by Khaing Min Htoo)

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1. Graffiti in Old Jerusalem proclaims peace

On a wall in Old Jerusalem, graffiti proclaims "Peace on Earth" in a region that has struggled with peace for all of history. (Photo by Jon Warren)